Joshua Steele,
Topics in Graphic Design,
3/13/2019
Essay 4: What is my Brand?
I remember when I used to learn branding at my high school, the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media, I would learn how each brand had a specific feel and mood to it, Nike was ambitious, Starbucks was reliable, Mcdonalds was that and family friendly, you could go through each brand and if done well, associate it with various feelings, colors, and so on. This surprising can also happen to people, we all have a view of Steve Jobs that reads creativity and precision, one of Elon Musk that says innovation and forward thinking, this is especially important in politics where candidates have to know how to brand themselves, Clinton as caring, strong, progressive, Trump as blunt and honest, having a consistent and noticeable Brand Identity aids in Brand Recognition and the effectiveness of ads and everything else.
Learning in the class the importance of coming off to people in a certain way, and getting to know what places one wants to work, I started to think. If I had to pick what my brand was, how I came off or at least tried to come off to most people, I would say Creative but Organized, I like to think about different ways to present something, how to make something look nice, vibrant, and I like to be spontaneous at times, yet I also like to keep a timetable, and to be predictable for the most part. I like to know what I’m doing, when it’s due, and so on, and then to use my creative side within that framework.
Looking at myself like that, brands like Penguin Random House, and Microsoft, resonate with me, both know what they’re doing and at the expense of some success stay focused on what they do, growing and being creative but always staying within a wider niche. Microsoft only just began making hardware even though they’re often pitted as competitors with Apple, a hardware giant, showing that even in the face of tension they don’t change what they do lightly. Penguin Random House publishes 70,000 ebooks and 15,000 print books every year and was named top mid-size publisher of 2018 for their great hiring and success, that’s the kind of success I want.
I resonate with these brands because they have the same focus as me, without losing a creative edge, they do the same general work without being monotonous, that’s the kind of career I want as I move out into the field.
